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Rating
4.5from
This podcast has
62 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Bob SullivanExplicit
No
Date created
2020/05/17
Latest episode
2026/09/10
Average duration
22 min.
Release period
68 days
Description
A podcast about technology and democracy, sponsored by Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy.
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Check latest episodes from Debugger podcast
A courtroom win for privacy and women's health
2026/09/10
"It was a real David and Goliath moment, in the best way." The vast majority of privacy cases are settled out of court ... but not the Flo Health period tracking app case. A jury ruled against Facebook/Meta, finding the firm did violate the law when it received and used information from Flo, creating a valuable public record. As the class action claims process begins, Debugger hosts a conversation with two of the plaintiffs lawyers -- Carol Villegas and Danielle Izzo-Mazzio from Labaton Keller Sucharow.
Sugar High, part 4: The future of music is what we'll make
2026/07/23
The Debugger miniseries 'Sugar High' examines the impact Big Tech and AI will have on the music industry. In this conclusion, folk musician Tift Merritt and Duke Professor David Hoffman discuss all the tools society has to encourage both innovation and art. And we learn a bit more about Tift's new album, called Sugar.
'Sugar High' part 3 -- Does it have to be tech vs art?
2026/02/25
Jen Jacobsen of the Artist Rights Alliance joins host Bob Sullivan to talk about the decades-long 'battle' between artists and tech firms. Will it come to a head with AI music? Can we build incentives into the system that reward creators? This is part 3 of Debugger's miniseries on the future of music called "Sugar High."
Sugar High, part 2: With AI music, can you believe your ears?
2026/02/18
There are a lot of scared composers, songwriters, and performers out there, we learn in part two of our miniseries "Sugar High." Streaming disrupted the music industry, but artificial intelligence could bring even more dramatic change, says Reid Wick, director of advocacy for the organization that gives out the Grammy Awards.
Sugar High, Part 1 -- The Future of Music?
2026/02/11
Tech firms like Spotify have already upended the music business, with many artists struggling to adjust. Will AI-generated music mean the end of musicians? In this miniseries, Debugger follows Grammy-nominated folk musician Tift Merritt as she records her first new record in nearly a decade and tries to navigate this perilous time for musicians. In part 1, Merritt tells host Bob Sullivan what it's like to re-enter the industry after taking 8 years off to raise her daughter.
The Minnesota assassin used data brokers as a weapon
2025/06/30
Digital stalking, aided by data brokers, took another deadly turn this month in Minnesota. When alleged political assassin Vance Boelter began his rampage on June 13, he had a list of 45 state politicians in his car. He also had a notebook full of their personal information -- and detailed information on 11 different Internet data brokers. When will Congress and tech giants take this crisis seriously? David Hoffman, director of the Duke Initiative for Science and Society, is here with analysis.
UnitedHealth hack episode 4 -- Will anything change?
2025/05/15
Outrage was high after the UnitedHealth hack was revealed, but will that anger turn into action? In this final episode of our 4-part series on the UnitedHealth hack, Duke's Hannah Pechet examines both the legal and the policy fallout from the cyberattack. When ransomware gangs strike again, will corporations, governments, and society be ready?
UnitedHealth hack episode 3 -- Who did it?
2025/05/14
Ransomware gangs operate in a shadowy digital underworld. Sometimes they play by certain rules, sometimes they don't. In episode 3 of this 4-part series, Duke University's Jacqueline Rodriguez delves into the hacking gangs who hacked UnitedHealth and extorted the firm.
UnitedHealth hack episode 2 -- What makes this cyberattack so significant?
2025/05/13
Nearly 200 million Americans' data were exposed by the UnitedHealth hack, and the event crippled some healthcare delivery systems across the country. In episode 2 of the UnitedHealth hack series, Duke's Navina Doss reveals the true depth of the cyberattack.
UnitedHealth hack Episode 1: Timeline of a health data disaster
2025/05/12
Imagine showing up at a pharmacy and being told you can't pick up your prescription because of a cyberattack. The UnitedHealthcare hack was much more than a typical smash-and-grab data theft. In the opening episode of Duke University's 4-part series on the UnitedHealth hack, Veronica Roque offers a day-by-day account as the true depth and significance of the cyberattack slowly became apparent.
Announcing the UnitedHealth hack series
2025/05/12
Duke University Professor David Hoffman joins host Bob Sullivan to explain the 4-part series Debugger will soon release covering all aspects of the UnitedHealthcare hack or 2024.
The Center for Latin American Convergence
2024/03/26
The Latin American tech industry is growing….fast…and so is the region’s cybersecurity needs. There’s an ambitious plan to bring together all the various interested parties for discussion at an organization called the Center for Latin American Convergence – also known as CCLATAM. Today’s guest is Piero Bonadeo, president and co-founder of the Miami-based organization.
'We need a lot of people to protect the world'
2024/03/06
There's a shortage of cybersecurity professionals all around to world -- and that includes Costa Rica, home of today's guest, Carolina Taborda. She heads a new project there called the CyberSec Cluster which aims to deal with this issue, among others. Taborda joins us just a few days before a Cybersecurity Leadership Program in Costa Rica that will be co-hosted by Duke University.
White House takes aim at data brokers
2024/02/29
The White House issued an executive order recently that takes on data brokers who might try to sell sensitive personal information on Americans to foreign adversaries like China and Russia. A recent study by Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy demonstrated how intelligence agencies might buy personal information on American soldiers, or diplomats, or politicians, and perhaps use it for blackmail or strategic advantage. Justin Sherman, an adjunct professor at Duke, led the study, and he is today's guest.
Is the digital divide actually getting bigger? This office is trying to help
2024/02/15
Think about the last time you lost your smartphone … even for a few minutes, or worse, for a whole day. Now, imagine living your whole life this way. The digital divide, which feels like a tired phrase from the early days of the Internet, is still quite real. Maggie Woods runs North Carolina’s Office of Digital Equity, which is trying to tackle this problem.
Podcast reviews
Read Debugger podcast reviews
johngable 2022/05/15
Innocently misdirected
The series harps on the idea that government can force companies like Facebook to police themselves and/or allow themselves to be policed. That’s neve...
Lunarjane 2022/05/11
Debugger
Music in the background is extremely annoying. It’s difficult to listen to this podcast. I was very interested in this topic and to learn more in dept...
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